5 architectural wonders creating a buzz worldwide

Leigh Hanlon, Tribune Brand Publishing on behalf of United Airlines

Ever since the Wonders of the Ancient World, innovative feats of architecture and engineering have captured our imagination. Today, science, technology and modern materials not only make for buildings and structures that would have been difficult to construct just a generation ago — but make for fascinating stops for any traveler.

What’s more, according to travel experts, innovative architectural destinations are becoming more popular as travelers seek out not just centuries-old museums and historic structures but the newest wonders, as well.

Here, we present five new wonders — and, just for the heck of it, we added a vintage favorite.

BURJ KHALIFA

The tallest structure on earth, the Burj Kahlifa soars 2,717 feet — more than a half mile — into the sky above Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The building, whose name means “Khalifa Tower” in Arabic, is not only the tallest building and free-standing structure, but also has the most stories, the highest occupied floor, the tallest elevator and the highest outdoor observation deck.

Designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, this mixed-use 163-floor skyscraper began construction in 2004 and topped out in 2009 with completion of its spire, which houses communications equipment.

The building, whose spiral design features 26 setbacks and subtly references the onion domes prevalent in Islamic architecture, scores many other impressive statistics. According to the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, the now-completed Burj Khalifa has 58 elevators, 900 apartments, 304 hotel rooms and nearly 3,000 parking spaces.

The tower is surrounded by a 27-acre park that benefits from an innovative approach to water conservation. Hot and humid exterior air is combined with water condensed by the building’s cooling system and piped to an area near the basement’s parking garage. This technology doesn’t supply all the water required to make a park blossom in a desert environment, but it does capture an estimated 15 million gallons a year.

Fire safety is another of the Burj Khalifa’s innovations. Pressurized, air-conditioned refuge areas are provided about every 25 floors.

The Burj Khalifa won’t maintain its tallest-structure bragging rights for much longer. Sky City, a 2,740-foot, 202-floor tower in Changsha, China, is expected to claim that official title soon.

And in 2019, if all goes according to plan, both will be topped by Kingdom Tower, planned to rise 3,281 feet above Jiddah, Saudi Arabia. By contrast, Chicago’s 1,451-foot Willis Tower has 108 floors.

Also known as the “Jerusalem Bridge of Strings,” this delicate-looking, 1,180-foot length structure by Spanish architect, sculptor and structural engineer Santiago Calatrava conveys the city’s red line light-rail system gracefully above and across congested thoroughfares. Although this was Calatrava’s 40th bridge, he had never before accommodated both trains and pedestrians in the design. Those on foot cross safely segregated in a glass-enclosed parallel span.

Like many Calatrava designs, this bridge creates an unforgettable image of grace, an illusion created by a lone 387-foot mast anchored by 66 steel cables. According to Calatrava, the design is meant to evoke the image of a harp.

Construction on the Jerusalem Chords Bridge began in 2005, with inauguration of service three years later.

Just certified by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat as the tallest skyscraper in the United States, New York’s One World Trade Center rises to 1,776 feet and 94 floors above the site of the former Twin Towers.

One World Trade Center achieves its highest-domestic honors by virtue of being topped by a spire, rather than an antenna. Unlike antennas, spires are deemed by the council to be an integral part of a structure.

Another design by Chicago’s Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, One World Trade Center began construction in 2006 and is expected to be complete next year.

One World Trade Center will score a number for points for environmentally friendly technology that includes recycling steam to help run air conditioning, and recycling rain that falls on the building. The captured rainwater, stored in towers on the site, will be used for supplemental cooling, fire protection and for the World Trade Center complex’s landscaping. New York receives about 50 inches a year.

Another architectural stunner on the site will be Calatrava’s Port Authority Trans-Hudson transit station. When completed in 2015, the transit center also will feature a massive retail complex. A portion of the center opened this year

Although at 1,004 feet not nearly as tall as many supertowers, The Shard stands tall in sheer visual impact, gleaming sharp and stark above the London Bridge Quarter. Started in 2009 and opened this year, the building is known variously as “The Shard of Glass,” “London Bridge Tower” or “The Shard at London Bridge.” It’s the tallest in Europe and the 62nd tallest in the world.

Designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, famed for Paris’ Pompidou Center, this slender, glass-covered pyramid hosts a mixed use of residential, hotel and office tenants. Interesting fact: Although the hotel offers 202 rooms, there are just 10 apartments.

Prince Charles described The Shard as looking like an enormous salt shaker, but tourists and most residents have been sweet on the enormous structure. Floors 68, 69 and 72 comprise a 360-degree, multistory observation gallery that has absolutely no trouble commanding $140 a ticket prices for a family of two adults ($40 each) and two kids ($30 each).

A massive hydroelectric project spanning the Yangtze River, Three Gorges Dam became fully functional in 2012, as the last of its 32 turbines began generating power for resource-hungry China.

Long a vision of earlier Chinese leaders Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong, Three Gorges Dam finally began construction in 1994. The dam is almost a mile-and-a-half long, stands about 600 feet high and its locks and lift systems are allowing ships to sail inland more safely — about 1,500 miles.

Most tourists book a multiday river cruise to reach Three Gorges Dam. Comments on TripAdvisor.com from those who have visited the dam say that it’s worth the time and occasional security delay to glimpse this engineering marvel.

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

Not a new structure, this international symbol of innovation is always near or at the top of most any U.S. visitor’s must-visit lists.

Completed in 1937, this pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly suspension bridge is described by Frommer’s travel guide as “more like a work of abstract art than one of the 20th century’s greatest practical engineering feats.”

More than one visitor has been disappointed to discover that the Golden Gate Bridge is not, in fact, painted gold but adorned in “International Orange,” a paint scheme chosen both for its aesthetics and ability to be seen during foggy conditions.

Among the innovations employed in constructing the Golden Gate Bridge was the creation of “spinning wheels” using color-coded cables to create the suspension system.

Last year, a great many well-wishers from all over the world turned out for the span’s 75th anniversary. You’re still welcome to pay your respects.